This application claims the priority of German application 198 32 324.7, filed in Germany on Jul. 17, 1998, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to an adjusting device for a suspension strut of a motorcycle.
Adjusting the suspension struts of motorcycles is already known. Thus, the spring base can be adjusted by a handwheel connected hydraulically with the suspension strut. It is also known that the damping characteristic of the suspension strut can be changed by adjusting its rebound stage. This adjustment is made directly at the suspension strut.
An adjusting handwheel cannot generally be positioned so that it both fits smoothly into the vehicle design and facilitates adjustment without difficulty from the ergonomic standpoint. Located externally on the motorcycle, the handwheel may disturb the contour of the outer skin or trim. When the handwheel is located beneath the seat, the available space is usually too small to allow grasping the handwheel properly.
German Patent Document No. DE 36 03 955 C2 describes a damping-force adjusting mechanism for a hydraulic damper in which the adjustment is performed by an electric motor. A solution of this kind is too cumbersome for motorcycles and is disadvantageous because of its higher weight.
A goal of the invention is to provide an adjusting device for a suspension strut of a motorcycle that can both operate in an ergonomically favorable manner and fit into the vehicle design without disturbing the overall design appearance of the motorcycle.
This goal is achieved according to the invention by providing an adjustment mechanism for a motorcycle suspension strut which includes a manually engageable adjusting member which is separate from the suspension strut and movable between an adjusting position where it is readily accessible to the motorcycle driver and a stowage or stowage position where it is disposed within the outer contour of adjacent motorcycle body structure.
According to the invention, a motorcycle with at least one suspension strut, with at least one manually operable adjusting mechanism for changing the spring pretension and/or damping properties of the suspension strut, and with the adjusting mechanism being mounted separately from the suspension strut on the motorcycle, is characterized in that at least one actuating element of the adjusting mechanism can be brought into two different positions relative to the motorcycle, an adjusting position for manual adjustment of the adjusting mechanism and a stowage or stowage position in which the adjusting mechanism is located so that it no longer projects beyond a contour of the motorcycle located in its vicinity.
Thus the manually operable adjusting mechanism can assume both an ergonomically favorable position on the motorcycle for adjustment and a position in which it fits smoothly into the vehicle design.
In certain preferred embodiments of the invention, provision is made for the adjusting mechanism together with the actuating element or the actuating element of the adjusting mechanism to be mounted on the motorcycle in such fashion that it can be brought by a translational movement or by a pivoting movement, especially against the force of a toggle spring, from the stowage position into the adjusting position.
A simple design for the invention is achieved by using one of the abovementioned methods for mounting it on the motorcycle.
When the adjusting mechanism with the actuating element or the actuating element of the adjusting mechanism is mounted by an articulated drive on the motorcycle, it is possible better to adjust the travel of the actuating element from the stowage position into the actuating position to the conditions on the motorcycle regarding free stowage space for the adjusting mechanism.
If the suspension strut is adjusted hydraulically, a master cylinder is necessary and the suspension strut is then advantageously connected with the adjusting mechanism by a hydraulic line. For mechanical adjustment of the suspension strut, the strut is connected with the adjusting mechanism by a rotatable mechanical connection.
In an especially preferred embodiment of the invention, the spring pretensioning is changed by the adjusting mechanism by adjusting a spring base and/or the damping properties are adjusted by adjusting the rebound of a suspension strut. It is advantageous in this regard that the adjusting mechanism with the operating element, or the operating element of the adjusting mechanism, can be mounted on the motorcycle in such fashion that it can be adjusted by the driver during travel.
If the adjusting mechanism with the operating element, or the operating element of the adjusting mechanism, is mounted beneath the motorcycle seat, it is very advantageous for the seat to be mounted foldably on the motorcycle and held in the open position by a gas compression spring.